By Tori Hancock at Wellies and Vogue.
Wind & Willow snack bowls
A few weeks ago we blogged about our favourite dip-dyed DIY projects. Well, our love of all things paint-splashed is showing no signs of waning, and we couldn't resist sharing these gorgeous wooden bowl sets with you.
This two tone kitchenware is the handiwork of Etsy seller Wind & Willow. All of crafter Araya's products are made from beautifully turned natural wood, dipped in swirly coloured rubber. We can't think of anything we'd rather serve our nibbles in this summer.
Poppyseed lemon pound cake
Lemon is one of our favourite summer flavours. It's fresh and zingy when we're feeling hot and bothered. This lemon pound cake recipe pairs citrus-y sponge with crunchy poppy seeds and sharp lemon icing, and it's making our stomachs very rumbly indeed.
Click over to Desserts for Breakfast for the recipe. In true recession spirit, master baker Stephanie has gone for a two-for-the-price-of-one recipe post and thrown in a ricotta and chocolate pound cake recipe for free.
Introducing The Simple Things
So glad you found us!
The Simple Things is a new monthly print magazine celebrating the things that matter most. It’s about knowing the greatest rewards come from the simplest things, that there’s no satisfaction like that at the end of a long muddy walk, no pink so pretty as freshly-cut rhubarb, no perfume to compare with your own home-grown flowers. It’s about making warm inviting homes – big or small – sharing food with friends, growing your own vegetables. It’s about shopping for a coffee table only to find you’re happy with a tea chest. It’s keeping your dad’s old typewriter just because it’s beautiful. It’s an empty beach on a Sunday morning. It’s backpedalling.
The Simple Things is from the creators of the UK's best selling handmade title, Mollie Makes, and will be on sale in the UK on September 6 2012. Can't wait? Then take a look inside The Simple Things in our sneak peek sampler!
You can make sure you don't miss the first issue of The Simple Things by taking advantage of our special pre-launch subscription offer 3 issues for £5.
So, what do you think? We would love to hear. Just scribble in the comments below or pop over to our Facebook page & chat to us on Twitter.
Exciting!
Upcycled paper bag basket tutorial
Do any of our readers remember weaving coloured paper into place mats at primary school? Ellinée has given our fave childhood craft project a grown-up twist with their woven basket tutorial, which uses brown paper bags for some rustic appeal.
We'll be following their lead and piling our baskets high with fresh fruit for people to dig into at a picnic lunch. Pop over to Ellinée for a photo guide to creating your own.
Kids go free at the National Trust
Newsflash! The generous people at the National Trust have come up trumps this summer by offering kids free entry to National Trust properties for all of August. Pack a picnic, explore an adventure playground or use the time to tick a few more items off your 50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾ list - the choice is yours.
Pop over to the National Trust website to download your free voucher and get out and about before the sun goes in!
Book launch: Tart it Up!
Tart it Up! is the latest offering from dessert legend and pâtissier extraordinaire Eric Lanlard, and this time he's turned his attentions to pies, flans and, that's right, tarts.
The cookbook contains a whole section dedicated to explaining the secrets behind perfect pastry, as well as a selection of quick bakes using ready-roll pastry for busy days.
We're most excited about the dessert tart section, though, which is filled with such treats as Exotic Fruit Meringue Crumble Pie and Apricot, Honey and Pistachio Tart. They don't call him Cake Boy for nothing, you know.
Wordless Wednesdays ... taking a break
From Máni Katz.
Reusable paper towels
Okay, this is not glamorous, but it deserves a mention because it's such a simple but great idea. Everyone's used to recycling their kitchen plastics and composting their leftovers, but we'd never even thought of buying reusable kitchen towels.
Athena Creates' Bird-E Towels (or unpaper towels, as they're affectionately known), are one way to make our homes a little greener. You can keep a stack of these in your kitchen, then pop 'em in the washing machine after you've used them, ready for the next lot of slips and spills. Click over to Etsy shop Athena Creates to find out more.
Roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies
Wow. When we found this recipe for roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies we were instantly smitten.
A little while ago, Sprouted Kitchen taught us how to make roasted strawberry ice cream. Kimberley from The Year in Food has gone one better and come up with a lolly version (or popsicle, if you'd rather), which eliminates the washing up and means we can eat these pretty much anywhere. Which is what we're planning on doing.
Whichever version we choose, we predict this recipe will be featuring heavily in our freezers this summer.
Geometric gift box tutorial
The sky is blue, the sun is shining and the schools have broken up. It can only mean one thing - wedding season is upon us once more. We've just fallen for this wedding favour box DIY.
The gurus at HeyLook created a little range of geometric favour boxes for Ruffled, which can be created from the templates provided.
Is it just us, or are regular gift boxes looking terribly old-fashioned all of a sudden? We can't imagine making a whole wedding party's worth, but we think for a special gift these are definitely worth the effort.
Tea tips
Apparently, tea is the world's second favourite beverage, after water. It seems that we are not alone is our love of this wonderful drink.
Helpfully, Utility Journal has produced a Tea Tip sheet as a mini-guide. Have you ever wondered about the perfect brewing time? Or if loose leaf is better than tea bags? No? Well, we take tea drinking very seriously. Pop over to Utility Journal get some answers anyway.
How to start seeds in eggshells
As hobbies go, gardening is pretty eco-friendly, but the little trick of starting seeds in eggshells is even more impressively so. Once you're done, plants go into the soil, egg box goes into the recycling and eggshells go for compost. Chances are, you won't have to buy anything special to get started, either!
This technique is ideal if you only have a little space to work with, because it'll tuck neatly onto your windowsill. Pop over to gardening blog Garden Betty to find out exactly how it's done, plus tricks and tips on what to grow.
Book launch: Book of Organisation
Nosing into people's creative spaces is like having a tiny window into their minds, and Jo Packham has provided us with just that in her new book, Where Women Create: Book of Organisation.
Jo has charmed her way into the studios of artists of all types, from fashion designers to doll makers (including, confusingly, men) and invited them to share their thoughts and tips on the spaces that get their creative juices flowing.
Not so much a how-to guide as an inspirational scrapbook, Book of Organisation may not help you transform your messy workspace into a haven of tranquillity, but it's fascinating nonetheless. Click over toWWC Press for a sneak peek inside, or check out Jo's Where Women Create site for more arty loveliness.
Wordless Wednesdays ... dawn explorers
By Jacinta Moore at Bawk Bawk Bawk.
Rosemary olive oil cake
We're always up for sampling unusual flavour pairings. How else are we supposed to find new favourites? This recipe for rosemary and chocolate olive oil cake from The Flour Sack definitely falls into the 'experimental' category, and we can't wait to try it out.
Baker Brooke says that this is the perfect snack cake. We always like to have a home-made cake tucked away in a tin ready for any unexpectected visitors or a nibble with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and this recipe has us sorted for this week.
Upcycled chests of drawers round-up
Ever since we blogged about furniture upcycling company Out of the Dark last week, we've been noticing loads of cool and creative ideas for renovating old furniture all over the net. Here's a mini round up of our favourites. First to earn a mention is Chi Chi Studio's hand painted chest of drawers. Her delicate bird and branch motif has transformed a boring piece of furniture into an unexpected work of art, and we love that blogger Kristin hasn't just gone down the safe route with a solid colour.
Second up, we have a question for you. Have you ever considered wallpapering anything other than a wall? No, us neither. Beautiful prints, interesting textures and a wonderfully quirky concept put Bryonie Porter's wallpapered furniture firmly on the list.
Finally, because we love a good tutorial, is interiors blog Twice Lovely. The blog is filled with furniture upcycling ideas, but our favourite is this on-trend chevron print chest of drawers DIY, which uses masking tape for a quick and easy stencilling effect.
You may have noticed that another chest of drawers has sneaked its way into this post. This is another of Ann Marie's ideas, and we've included it as proof that transforming an old dresser can be as straightforward as adding a lick of paint and some beautiful new handles. Sometimes, simple really is best.
Show your photos some love
Are any of our readers budding photographers? We found this fab heart bokeh tutorial which we can't wait try out. For those of you with a confused look on their faces right now, the term bokeh refers to the quality of the areas of a photo which are not in focus.
Rebekah from A Little Bit of Sunshine has a heart bokeh filter to create a background of delicate hearts in her photographs. The best bit of this tutorial is that all you need is some black card and tape, and you can use any shape you want (we're leaning towards stars, if you're interested). Pop over to A Little Bit of Sunshine to find out exactly how to make your own.
Get out and about this summer
Hannah and Rebecca love the UK, 'even when it rains'. They love the UK so much they've set up This Is Your Kingdom to celebrate the best of British.
The idea behind the site is that locals from all over the country share their favourite things to do in their area. Found a charming little coffee shop that's tucked away off the high street? Stumbled upon a beautiful view while out and about in the countryside? Buy all your favourite outfits from an indie boutique that no-one knows about? This is the place to share it!
The website is split into sections for men, women and kids, so there's something for everyone. Pop over to the This Is Your Kingdom website to check out the hidden gems in your area.
Plant a butterfly garden
Not content with producing beautiful stationery and writing a beautiful lifestyle blog, Amanda of Wit & Whistle has come up with a lovely idea to make our gardens more beautiful, too.
Following a bad experience with a vegetable patch (it's reassuring to know that even our favourite bloggers have these kinds of disasters, isn't it?) Amanda decided to take a different tack this year, and is planting her own butterfly garden.
Pop over to the Wit & Whistle blog for advice on caterpillar-friendly plants and how to get started creating a butterfly garden. And keep you fingers crossed for Amanda that she has more luck than she did with her vegetable patch!